Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Deputies, along with search and rescue personnel, are looking for a missing man whose vehicle and belongings were located without him when two friends came to the Blue Creek Boat Launch area to fish with him on Saturday morning.

Prathana Nammavong

Prathana Nammavong, a 43 year old resident of Des Moines, commonly fishes the Cowlitz River in the same area, beginning on Friday and concluding on Sunday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The friends located a chair and fishing poles belonging to Nammavong approximately a quarter of a mile down the Cowlitz River, near its confluence with Blue Creek, according to the sheriff’s office. The items were on the bank above the river, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

The friends looked for about five hours before reporting him missing at 1:15 p.m., according to Breen.

Breen said responders are on the water this afternoon and a ground search along the banks of the river was conducted earlier today.

The boat launch is south of Ethel, off Spencer Road.

Nammavong was last in contact when he communicated to friends via cellphone on Friday morning, Breen said.

Breen said attempts to locate Nammavong were also made during the weekend using water craft and a K-9. He expects they will continue today until dark.

Anyone with information or who had contact with Nammavong this weekend is asked to please call the sheriff’s office at 360-748-9286 or Lewis County Communications at 360-740-1105.

The home is fully involved in flames as crews arrived. /
Courtesy photo by West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The cause of a fire that broke out last night at a home in the Maytown area is under investigation, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

The 2,300-square-foot house, two cars and a motorcycle were destroyed in the blaze at the 12400 block of Tilley Road Southwest, Capt. Lanette Dyer said.

The structure was fully involved in flames when crews arrived following the approximately 6:30 p.m. call, Dyer said. Multiple agencies responded. The property is on Deep Lake near Deep Lake Resort and Millersylvania State Park.

Nobody was home at the time and both the renters and the owner have insurance, she said.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Criminal charges have been dropped against a 21-year-old Onalaska man arrested in September in connection with images uploaded by a 15-year-old girl to her Facebook account showing her unclothed private parts.

Cody M. Cothran, 21, was charged in Lewis County Superior Court with sexual exploitation of a minor and third-degree rape of a child.

Of particular interest to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office was a photo of the girl with a penis in her mouth, and Facebook text messages allegedly between her and Cothran that suggested an intimate relationship. The information had been forwarded to the sheriff’s office from  the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Melissa Bohm asked a judge last week to dismiss the charges against Cothran. They were dismissed without prejudice on Jan. 19, meaning the state could refile them at a later date, according to Bohm.

Bohm said she met with the girl a few times and just needed more time to investigate.

Cothran’s lawyer, defense attorney David Brown said the alleged victim recanted and said it didn’t happen.
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For background, read “Facebook: Onalaska resident arrested after photo alleged to be with underage girlfriend surfaces” from Friday September 30, 2016, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 36-year-old Chehalis man has pleaded guilty in a case in which a woman standing on a Chehalis home’s porch was shot at twice following an early morning argument.

Andrew C. Skyberg was arrested after the Oct. 7 incident and has been held since in the Lewis County Jail.

Yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court, Skyberg pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.

It happened outside a home on the  600 block of Southwest William Avenue in Chehalis. Nobody was injured.

When Skyberg is sentenced next week, lawyers on the two sides have agreed to recommend he spend 12 years plus eight months in prison.
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For background, read “Bail set at half million dollars for suspected Chehalis shooter” from Monday October 17, 2016, here

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 21-year-old Centralia man has been sentenced to a little more than 19 years in prison for an incident in which a 19-year-old was grazed in the leg by a bullet outside a Centralia apartment complex.

David Serrano Mosso was arrested after the Nov. 29 shooting and pleaded guilty this week to first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.

A judge on Wednesday in Lewis County Superior Court gave him 231 months in prison.

It happened at the at the 3100 block of Ives Road, off Harrison Avenue.

The victim opined to police that maybe Serrano Mosso was angry because he’d been trying to collect $300 for work he’d done on a vehicle for Serrano Mosso. The judge ordered Serrano Mosso to have no contact with the victim for the rest of his life.
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For background, read “Gunshot victim says Serrano Mosso owed him money” from Sunday December 4, 2016, here

Firefighters from four departments extinguish house fire today on Avery Road West. / Courtesy photo by Derrick Paul

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two people and a baby escaped injuries today when a small explosion caught their laundry room on fire in a house south of Napavine.

Firefighters were called just after 11 a.m. to the two-story home on the 400 block of Avery Road West and extinguished the fire, according to Lewis County Fire District 5.

They were joined by personnel from Lewis County Fire Districts 15, 2 and 7, according to District 5’s Laura Hanson.

Fire Investigator Derrick Paul said the brother, sister and her infant were home at the time but got out. He found a faulty gas clothes dryer caused the blaze.

There was extensive damage throughout the residence, according to Paul. Hanson described it as a total loss and noted an adjacent structure was damaged as well.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Thurston County authorities found the woman they were looking for yesterday, who had been missing since Tuesday.

Carol Biehl

Carol A. Biehl, 69, was located at 9 o’clock last night in Tumwater, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

Sgt. Carla Carter said in a message this morning that Biehl is safe.

The sheriff’s office had asked for the public’s help as they looked for Biehl or her car as she has dementia and has heart conditions.
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For background, read “News brief: Woman missing from Thurston County” from Wednesday January 18, 2017, here